A Good Price to Pay
by psycho chibbi
Summary: During a trip back to Piffle, Kurogane is having to go through the steps of adapting to a new arm. He soon learns that Fai is paying for it yet again. However it's not quite what Kurogane had expected. light Kurogane x Fai


**A Good Price to Pay**

_by: a psycho chibi named Wendy_

Disclaimer: I do not own a thing except a slightly dented imagination.

Warnings: Language, hints at yaoi/shounen-ai, takes place after the end of the manga while they're world hopping.

Pairing: light hints of Kurogane x Fai

Summary: During a trip back to Piffle, Kurogane is having to go through the steps of adapting to a new arm. He soon learns that Fai is paying for it yet again. However it's not quite what Kurogane had expected.

Author Rant: Yo! This is my first whack at a Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles fic. It's been hanging out gettin neglected for a while on my hard drive, so I thought I'd set it out for the masses to view. So go on, Masses.

Enjoy~

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

"How does that feel?"

Crimson eyes opened slowly and shifted to the bandages around the length of the left arm resting on the table. Focusing on the bandaged fingers, the eyes narrowed slightly as they tried to will the digits to move. Five seconds passed before they finally began to twitch. Slowly the hand curled into a fist, but the grip was noticeably weak.

Much to Kurogane's irritation. "The reaction time is slower than the old one." he grunted, noticing that it reaction was delayed by a few seconds when he wanted to release his fist.

A soft giggle filled the quiet room as a young face filled the ninja's vision. "That's because you were in too much of a hurry last time to use it. This model requires rehabilitation to fully adapt itself to your body."

Seeing that smiling face made the ninja feel awkward, so he looked back towards his new arm. "Rehab? That's pointless. Why?" he grumbled.

The way he sounded almost dejected made Tomoyo giggle again. "Not only is this model able to connect with your nervous system at a higher level, the skin that we were able to graft onto it will heal at the same rate as your real skin. It has to adapt as well. By the time your rehabilitation is through, it'll be like having your real arm back." she chirped happily.

Thoughts of having full use of this new arm did please him, but he wasn't exactly thrilled about the rest of it. "How long will that take?"

"For you? I would say a week at the least. That should be enough time for Fai to deliver payment for it." the girl seemed to add as an after thought.

Kurogane's gaze shot up and stared at the mirror image of his princess. "Wait. Payment? That fool is paying for this? How?"

The sharpness of his suspicious tone made Tomoyo give a wide grin. "He offered up a talent that he has. I'm quite excited. I can't wait to see what he's done."

The way she giggled and clapped her hands together immediately placed the ninja on guard. "Shit, where the hell is that idiot?" he questioned gruffly as he tried to move from the bed he was resting on.

However his attempts were stopped when a small, and surprisingly strong, hand smacked down on his bare chest. "No moving for you, Mr. Ninja. You have to stay still for another hour before you can get up. The connections to your nerves are still too fresh." She ignored his angry growls and patted the top of the spiky black head. "Don't worry. Your little magician is just fine. I'll take you to him later. For now just rest."

Now really feeling dejected, Kurogane had to bite back the words that were threatening to spill out. Even if this wasn't his princess, he couldn't allow himself to use course language around her. "If that idiot mage did something stupid again, I'll kill him." he growled under his breath.

Tomoyo prodded lightly at the growling man's nose and gave her best disarming smile. "You know it's so cute when you're worried. I hope Fai appreciates how much you care." she seemed to coo playfully.

Getting the impression that he was being teased, Kurogane tried to force away the blush that was heating his cheeks. "That idiot is nothing but trouble..."

"Perhaps, but you happen to love that trouble. As well as the idiot causing it." When that blush grew brighter on his tan cheeks, Tomoyo giggled again. "You're so adorable, Kurogane. Fai is a very lucky man."

Normally he would have told the person embarrassing him to shut up or face a sharp pointy death, but he knew that he couldn't. This was Tomoyo. He could never be hostile towards her. That and the fact the only other person that would dare try to embarrass him knew that threat was weak at best. "Damn mage..." he grumbled before pulling a pillow over his face.

He didn't want to deal with that knowing smile on that girl's face. It was the smile that told him that he wasn't fooling anyone.

_fjfjfj_

"Kurogane-san."

Glancing over his good shoulder, Kurogane stopped his trek out of the medical building when he spotted Syaoran heading towards him. "Hey. Where have you been?" he questioned, but then quickly noticed that a member of their group was missing. "Where's Manjuu?"

Syaoran gestured out the door. "Mokona's helping Fai in the courtyard behind the building. Tomoyo-san told me to tell you that you're going to be in big trouble when she finds you. You're supposed to be in bed for another ten minutes." the boy informed him with a disapproving frown.

Red eyes narrowed slightly before he turned away from the glare. "Ten minutes isn't going to kill me. And I'm wearing the stupid sling. It's not like I'm charging off into battle with this thing any time soon." Kurogane muttered loudly. He was not pleased at all with that.

And everyone knew it. Syaoran let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. "Tomoyo-san said you had to stay for a week. That's what we're going to do."

"I know. I'll do the stupid rehab. Now show me what that idiot mage is up to. Tomoyo said something about him paying for this." The ninja was still suspicious, so he couldn't sit idly by without seeing for himself what the blond was doing.

The poorly hidden concern made a slight smirk twitch onto the boy's face as he exited the building as well. "Bartering is a more accurate term for what he's doing. And he's using his magic." he added lightly before leading the way to the side of the building.

Kurogane followed closely, but raised a brow at the news. "Magic... He's certainly gotten back into that easily enough."

Syaoran nodded, but a faint frown formed over his face. "I can tell that he's missed it.. But sometimes when he's writing out a spell he looks so sad.."

"I'm just glad he's not hiding it anymore. If he needs to tell us anything he will." Kurogane stated without hesitation.

The teen nodded in agreement. "Yes. He has gotten a lot better. I think this job will help him as well."

That got the ninja's attention. "How so?"

"You'll see. Come on. It's not much further."

He wasn't pleased that no one was giving him a straight answer, but Kurogane decided to remain quiet. His new arm twitched faintly in the black sling, but he resisted the urge to move it. From what he understood, this one would be far better than the old one, but it required more attention at the beginning. The way the surgeons and nurses fussed over him he was tempted to just slap the old one back on, but he had promised the idiot mage to take better care of this one. That and the harsh fact that much more trauma to that shoulder would render any further attempts useless. He had to go through this if he wanted to be capable of wielding his blade at his maximum skill again.

Seconds later Kurogane saw that they were approaching a large courtyard garden area that connected the main buildings of Piffle corp. He had not ventured into this area, so was greatly surprised when it was a traditional Japanese garden that looked very similar to the ones back in Nihon. The sight of the koi ponds and beautifully sculpted banzai gardens that were scattered everywhere made him smile. It gave him a sense of home that comforted him.

"Lovely, isn't it?" Syaoran asked with a smile.

The ninja had to nod. "Yes... Has this always been here?"

"From what I understand Tomoyo-san has been working on it for around a year. Fai-san is on the other side."

Syaoran silently guided Kurogane through the lush gardens, and the ninja took in the scenery carefully. Now that he knew such a place was nearby, he was a bit more acceptant of the upcoming rehabilitation. 'If I can relax here it won't be too annoying.'

"Here we are."

Turning his attention back towards the boy, Kurogane was about to speak when he caught sight of what was happening. Up ahead was the large wall of an old brick building. That was odd in itself when hardly anything seemed to be made of brick in this country, but what caught his attention was the large golden swirls that seemed to be growing out of the ground. "I recognize those.. It looks like the shield he made when we were escaping that library. What are they doing there?"

"He's using them like a ladder." Syaoran pointed higher up on the wall. "See? Up there."

Directing his attention further up, Kurogane soon spotted the mage perched atop one of the tall spirals. However he was confused when he saw the mage with a paintbrush working on the wall. "He's painting?"

"That's right! Mokona is helping too!" The white ball of fluff was suddenly sliding down one of the spirals holding a smaller paintbrush covered in sky blue paint. "Fai is painting a mural for Tomoyo-chan! Isn't it pretty_?_!" Mokona chirped before launching itself at the ninja.

Kurogane swiftly side stepped the hyper creature, causing it to tackle head on into Syaoran. He ignored the spluttering noises the boy made as he was knocked to the ground and focused on the wall beyond the large swirling structure. So far he could make out a sky and grass, but not much detail. "Looks like a bunch of blue and green paint." he stated with a raised brow.

"That's because we just started, Kuro-chan."

The butchering of his name didn't seem to irritate him as much as it used to. But it still made his eye twitch. He glanced back up and watched the lithesome figure gracefully climb down the magically created structure. He waited until the blond had both feet on the ground before he responded. "Why are you painting a mural?"

Fai turned towards the ninja and gave a soft smile and a faint shrug. "I asked Tomoyo-chan if there was anything I could do to repay her for her kindness. She suggested this, so I agreed. I'm sort of glad she did. It's been a long time since I've had the opportunity to do something a bit more artistic." He glanced back towards the wall and seemed to smile a bit wider. "I believe I'm going to enjoy this project."

The smile was genuine. Kurogane could tell with one look at the bright light that was within the clear eyes. Knowing that the mage was speaking honestly made his lips twitch upwards. "Better not get too carried away. We're only going to be here for a week."

A soft chuckle left the blond as he lightly poked the ninja's good arm. "I'll be done when you are, Kuro-sama. Hey, Mokona? What say we take a break and find something ridiculously sweet to eat?"

Mokona immediately bounced on its perch atop Syaoran's head. "Yaay! Ridiculously sweet!" it cheered before hopping to the mage.

Catching the powder puff, Fai pointed towards a yellow building that bordered the courtyard. "To the cafeteria!" he declared before marching onward.

Syaoran chuckled as he dusted himself off. "They seem to be very happy here. Hopefully we'll be able to make more stops here in the future."

Kurogane wasn't sure how to respond, so he gave a slight grunt. It wasn't that he disliked Piffle. It was simply too... Busy for his tastes. _'Too much technology. Too many people. Too much fluffy crap.' _Why everything seemed to be fluffy was an enigma that both vexed and pissed him off.

He glanced back towards the mural and gave a slight snort. "Finished when I am my ass. This will take him ages."

"Maybe. We'll just have to see. Let's catch up with them. It's been a good while since either of us has eaten."

Kurogane frowned, but followed the boy. There was no way the easily distracted mage could finish that wall before he was through with his rehab_. 'I'll be finished way before him.' _

_fjfjfj_

"Hold it a few more seconds..."

Biting his lip hard, Kurogane felt his shoulder begin twinging painfully as he held out his new arm perpendicular to his body. He wasn't about to admit to the man working as his physical therapist that simple action was about to make him fall over. _'No way in hell..'_

It never occurred to him that rehab would be such a strenuous ordeal with such simple exercises, but he was swiftly shown the error of his ways. The other mechanical arm had done quite a bit of damage, so his adaptation to the new one was going to be slow. And painful.

"Shit..." With a harsh hiss, Kurogane let his arm back down into the therapist's hands and gasped for breath. "This is so stupid..." he grunted in frustration.

The therapist gave a light chuckle and nodded. "I know. You're holding up a lot better than most of my patients, but you need to pace yourself. Doing too much too soon can ruin all the progress you've made." The man carefully helped the twitching arm back into the sling and stood straight. "I think that will be enough for now. Take some time to rest and meet me back here in five hours. We'll work on your grip."

Kurogane gave a slight nod and stood from the bench he had been sitting on. He didn't bother with any further conversation with the man, and quietly left the therapy room in the medical building. As he made his way towards the courtyard entrance he felt a strange mixture of frustration and embarrassment. He hadn't expected this kind of stress from what he once thought as an irritating formality.

Now he realized that he needed this.

"I depend on it.. How humiliating.."

It was close to shameful, but he knew that if he hinted towards feeling that way he would receive a never ending nagfest about his health. No, it was best to swallow his pride and get it over with as quick as possible. _'But now.. If just holding my arm out is that painful, how the hell am I going to be fit in a week?'_

Maybe the mage would finish before him.

"Fuck.. That would be humiliating." he grunted as he entered the courtyard.

It was another pleasant afternoon in the courtyard. A few birds were singing softly in the trees, and a warm breeze stirred the fallen cherry blossoms on the ground. A deep breath of the familiar scents relaxed him as he headed for the wall the mage was painting. He wasn't expecting much more than what he saw the day before, but when he finally saw the wall he was forced to stop and stare.

Fluffy white clouds were suddenly in the blue sky, and wild flowers were placed randomly along the painted grass that now seemed more detailed. However his breath was caught by the image of a very familiar sakura tree. "That.. That's the tree.."

"The ancient sakura tree in Nihon." Fai answered calmly as he carefully painted the pink petals on one of the blossoms with a thin brush.

Kurogane moved closer to the mage perched on one of the golden spirals that he conjured. "It's so detailed... Looks almost real.."

Fai hummed softly and moved to paint another blossom on a branch. "I'm glad you approve. It's going to take me the rest of the day to get the blossoms filled out like I remember." he mumbled as he got more paint from the small plastic bowl he was holding.

As the ninja watched another flower being painted, something didn't seem right. "Wait.. How can you paint with pink and white when you're using one bowl?"

The blond head turned towards Kurogane to show a sly grin. "Simple little spell. The paint automatically turns whatever color I need it to be. Watch." He dipped the white covered brush back into the bowl, but when he lifted it back out is was soaked with black paint. Another dip turned it a brilliant shade of green. "I've always liked this spell. Haven't had much use for it though." he mused before changing the paint back to white and continuing.

"Interesting... So Tomoyo wanted a mural of the ancient sakura?" Kurogane questioned as he examined a flower painted closest to him.

"No. Tomoyo-chan asked me to paint something that made me happy."

The simple statement had Kurogane quickly looking back at the magician. "Happy? The tree made you happy?"

Fai nodded as a warm smile curled his lips. "It did. I felt peaceful around it. Protected even. It was the first time I ever felt safe. Just being in the presence of such a natural power was humbling." He glanced back towards the ninja as his smile grew. "I hope to be able to see it again someday."

The honest words tugged deeply at Kurogane's heart. So much that he couldn't stop the smile that he gave the blond. "I promise you will."

The Magician's eyes softened on hearing the promise, but he quickly turned his attention back to what he was doing. "So how's the rehabilitation going?"

Being reminded of it made Kurogane want to growl, but he bit back the urge. "Shitty. Apparently my shoulder was messed up pretty bad from the old one. It's proving to be a tiresome process." he muttered, perching himself on a low spiral near him.

"I expected it would be." Fai sighed deeply and paused to brush his bangs out of his eyes. "I'm sorry that I can't be of any help.."

Kurogane glanced up at the mage and frowned. "It's not your fault."

"In a way it is. I'm the one that got you the first one, but that's not really what I feel badly for." Fai mused as he lightly stirred the paint in his bowl.

The strange words were beginning to annoy him, but he had to stop himself from trying to fold his arms over his chest. "Just spit it out. I thought we had this discussion."

The blond gave a weak laugh and nodded. "Yes.. The 'Get to the point, stupid mage.' talk." He was about to start work on another blossom, but stopped himself. "I'm sorry that, for all I'm capable of, I can't manage something as simple as easing your pain." he admitted quietly.

Crimson eyes narrowed slightly. "Ease my pain?"

"Yes.. There's a basic spell that can dull the pain a person is feeling. One of the first spells most magic users learn, but for some reason I can never manage to even understand it." Fai lowered the bowl to his lap and lightly ribbed at his temples. "Children can do such a spell, but I'm utterly pathetic at even remembering how to do it."

The ninja wasn't certain he understood what the problem was, so tried to let the matter drop. "It's not that big of a deal. We've managed to get by without that sort of thing."

"Hm.. Maybe not to you, but it has always bothered me." Fai muttered as his head bowed low.

He was about to tell him that he was being stupid again, but he bit his tongue. Fai actually seemed to be opening up to him. _'He wants to talk..'_ "Why?" he found himself automatically asking.

Fai seemed to hesitate for a moment before he forced himself to answer. "I suppose it all stems back to the damn curse myself and my twin were born into... When I found out that no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't heal people I realized that my strengths were all in spells that inflicted harm." A sad smile pulled over his lips as his head bowed lower. "I can't help but feel that my brother would have been the healer.. He was the sensitive one.. The compassionate one..."

Kurogane was silent as he took in the quiet confession. He recalled the memories that he was forced to see of the blond's past, and easily remembered the twin locked away in the tower crying out for his brother. "He may have been. However the only person he wanted to heal was you."

The blond head snapped up and a confused gaze was fixed on the ninja. "What?"

"Your brother watched you try with everything you had to escape so you could rescue him." Kurogane started, locking his eyes on the mage's. "You may not agree, but you suffered the most. You tortured yourself to keep trying for the sake of your brother. You're the one that was forced to watch your people slowly be dumped into that pit like garbage. Then you were traumatized by that psychotic king." his expression softened just barely as he remembered the screams. "You were broken by that. Your brother wanted to save you. It was his decision. His wish."

Fai felt his chest tighten, and adverted his gaze back to the painted flowers in front of him. "His wish..." His eyes began to sting, making his vision blur. "A bit unfair.. He got his wish to save me, but I'm denied mine to have him back..."

"We've all lost someone, Mage. Death doesn't return what it has taken. No matter what you do to persuade it." Kurogane stated calmly.

A weak chuckle left the magician as he glanced back at his companion. "I know that now. However it doesn't ease the pain of the first promise that I was forced to break."

The black head tilted curiously. "First promise?"

The blond head nodded slowly. "Before we were separated, we swore to one another that we would face our fates together."

Crimson eyes grew wide when something finally clicked into place. "That's why you were so careless with your life.."

Fai readily nodded. "I wanted to be with my brother... Too much of a coward to do it myself, but I decided that I wouldn't resist if my life was at stake." That sad smile soon returned. "But then I was dropped into your laps. I didn't want anyone witnessing me give up, so I carried on."

"So if you had been alone.."

"I wouldn't have lifted a finger." Fai answered calmly.

Kurogane wanted to be angry, but he noticed the blond was speaking in the past tense. "And now?"

"Now?" Fai turned his attention back to the bowl of paint and took up the brush. "I've decided instead of rushing to join him in death, I will make it my task to live for the both of us. That way, when we are reunited, I will have plenty to share with him."

Although the sad aura was still lingering around him, Kurogane detected a noticeable amount of hope in the soft voice. It made his own hope flare in response. "Hm.. Sounds like you're starting to learn."

"I learned that there are differences between doing something out of love and doing something out of desperation." Fai replied as he returned to his painting. "I was too blinded by the pain of our severed link to understand what Fai had done for me."

"Severed link?" Kurogane repeated with another frown.

"Yes. We were twins in more ways than one." Fai carefully painted another blossom on the tree. "Fai was the other half of my soul. When he died, I was ripped apart. That wound will never heal. No matter how much time passes."

Kurogane could hear the sorrow with those words, but he couldn't think of what to say. _'To have the other part of your soul taken from you... I don't think I will understand that...'_ "It probably doesn't mean much, but I am sorry."

Fai seemed to hum softly as he continued painting. "It means everything, Kuro-sama. You are the only reason I'm here. My life belongs to you."

The sentiment was very unexpected, but it comforted the ninja. To know that the blond would stay with him. "Hm... Does that mean I'm stuck with you?" Kurogane asked in what could be considered as a teasing tone.

"Until you decide to kill me." Fai glanced back at the ninja and smiled. "That is what we agreed, ne? If I'm going to die, it will be by your hand?"

Although it was a bit gruesome, Kurogane's lips twitched upward. "Indeed. I'm the only one that has that right. You best be grateful that my tolerance for your stupidity has grown considerably."

The choice of words had Fai quirking up a brow, but he was soon chuckling and shaking his head. "I suppose that's the most I'll ever get out of you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kurogane asked with a scowl.

Fai immediately slapped up that innocent smile. "Nothing, Kuro-woof woof. Since you seem to be finished now, is there anything you wish to do?"

Knowing a blatant subject change when he saw one, Kurogane decided to let the matter drop. Instead he stood from his seat only to settle down on soft grass in front of the wall. "I'm content right here." he stated as he calmly leaned back against the spiral he had been sitting on.

His crimson eyes closed, and Fai simply watched him for a moment. When nothing else was said, Fai's smile softened. "As am I.." he whispered before continuing to his work.

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

A tender beginning, perhaps?

Let me know if you'd like me to add to it.

Later~


End file.
